St. Petersburg police raid the Museum of Authority

In the Museum of Authority in St. Petersburg, the paintings on display contained provocative images of officials, politicians and religious leaders. Source: ITAR-TASS

Radical Russian art finds itself at the center of another political scandal.

Authorities seized provocative paintings featuring likenesses
of prominent Russian politicians from the Museum of Authority in St.
Petersburg. Experts question the artistic value of the paintings and contend
that modern artists are consciously creating inflammatory works to draw
attention to their selves.

Alexander Shaburov, an artist belonging to the Siniye Nosi
(Blue Noses) association, often incorporated images of politicians from
different countries in his works. His videos and photo collages were extremely
provocative. The main characters in his art were Vladimir Lenin, Vladimir
Putin, Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, former Ukrainian Prime Minister
Yulia Timoshenko, and others.

Once, Shaburov’s "Era of Mercy," which depicts
two policemen kissing, was not even allowed to be taken out of the country for
an exhibition. According to the artist, he uses politicians in his art so often
because contemporary artists must attract attention any way they can.

In the Museum of Authority in St. Petersburg, the paintings
on display contained provocative images of officials, politicians and religious
leaders. Police closed down the museum and seized four paintings:
"Travesty," which depicts people who look like Russian President
Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev dressed in women's swimsuits;
the diptych "Erotic Dreams of State Duma Deputy Mizulina" (the
sponsor of a law prohibiting the promotion of homosexuality to minors);
"From Confession," a painting showing Patriarch Kirill with prison
tattoos; and "Rainbow Milonov," a portrait of a St. Petersburg deputy
known for opposing homosexuality.

According to representatives of the Ministry of Internal
Affairs, police officers visited the exhibition in response to complaints by
citizens that the organizers of the exhibition had violated the law.

The owner of the gallery is Alexander Donskoi, the former
mayor of Arkhangelsk who left his post after a series of widely-reported
scandals that ended in criminal proceedings. In 2007–2008, he was found guilty
of forging a diploma and abuse of authority.

After leaving office, the former
official started a rather unusual business: Besides the Museum of Authority, he
has a museum of erotic art in St. Petersburg and one in Moscow. Donskoi
explained to RBTH that the police did not show any documents when they
confiscated the art, which could be considered illegal.

Related:

"People in uniforms took away four of our paintings; one
we found at the police station, the others have simply vanished. These
paintings are the property of the artist and he would like them back," said
Donskoi.

"None of the police officers showed us any documents, except one
lieutenant. We did identify Milonov. He said that we are dealing with extremist
activities. But he was the one who broke into our building and insulted the
work of our artist."

Donskoi claims that modern art often causes a scandal and
this is normal. "Contemporary art is always on the brink of provocation; it
is a kind of exaggeration. Some of our works of art actually depicted our
highest officials in a very positive light. Art must evoke emotions," said
the former mayor.

The former director of the Perm Museum of Contemporary Art,
Marat Gelman, agrees that art should be seized only by court order, and that
the police behavior only attracted attention to what had been an inconspicuous
event.

"It was a weak and uninteresting exhibit: No one would
have noticed it, but now everyone knows the works of art that was there. The
police have made an advertisement for the artist and the gallery owner," Gelman
said. He further commented that officials should be happy that they are
depicted, even in ironic art.

"Everything that happens in the artistic world — including
criticizing the authorities—is normal and we should be glad about it. Russian
culture is very self-depreciating: People laugh and humanize the image. The
authorities should encourage the creation of ironic and comical portraits of
themselves," said Gelman.

The director of the Multimedia Complex of Contemporary Arts,
Olga Sviblova, believes that the main goal of art should not be political.

"I am against the unprofessional use of art as an aide
in solving political or economic interests," said the expert. "The
Museum of Authority most likely is not related to the art world. There is room
in art for political themes, but we need to seriously ask ourselves whether or
not a work of art was created for posterity or if it is a political cartoon. A
cartoon also can sometimes become art, but in rare cases. It is important to
understand the context in which the work is shown, why, and what issues it
addresses."

Sviblova explained that it is important to establish what
issues Donskoi was dealing with in this exhibition and which
of his personal interests were highlighted.

"We often create an uproar
over an event that prevents us from addressing the issue and creates
difficulties in the future for the participant. If Pussy Riot had not received
so much publicity, the girls would have been released long ago," she
concluded.